Judiciary is polarized

For decades of independence, Botswana was hailed as exemplary for maintaining peace and the independent Judiciary. There has been a shift, with divisions and polirasation of the Judiciary. This critical arm of governance finds itself in a precarious state arising from a simple thing as housing allowance.

Towards end of last year, it emerged that poor administration within the Administration of Justice (AoJ) led to some Judges being paid undue housing allowance. What could have been solved administratively however saw the powers that be playing politics, allowing others to pay back the money but opening criminal proceedings against four High Court Judges, leading their suspension.